1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a retractable cargo box for use in connection with baggage compartments located in buses, recreational vehicles, aircraft, trains, trucks, and other types of vehicles and equipment. The retractable cargo bin has particular utility in connection with minimizing the amount of strain placed on the body, especially the back and shoulders, when loading and unloading baggage from these compartments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Improper lifting of heavy cargo can cause medical problems such as back and neck injuries. Large storage compartments in buses, planes, trains, and other vehicles tend to be long and narrow, prohibiting workers from being able to stand in the proper position to stow or retrieve baggage and other cargo. Retractable cargo bins are desirable for providing easy access to baggage especially that stored in the back of the storage compartment. In this way, unnecessary loads on one""s back and legs due to heavy lifting at unusual angles can be avoided. In addition to alleviating undue stress on an individual""s body while stowing and retrieving baggage, cargo bins can help cargo maintain its original placement while in transit, reducing the risk of damage to both the cargo and the vehicle due to shifting cargo.
The use of retractable cargo bins is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,181 to Niclas E. Wolterstorff and Bruce E. Leonard discloses a toploading and retractable passenger bus cargo handling system. However, the Wolterstorff, et al. ""181 patent does not provide either a rear or front wall for the cargo system, which could lead to items falling from or inadvertently being pushed off the back end of the device during storage and retrieval of cargo. Additionally, an item that was accidentally pushed off the back end of the device while cargo was being stowed could be caught between the cargo box and the wall of the bus when the cargo box is fully inserted into the bus, leading to damaged luggage as well as broken or damaged items within the luggage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,767 to John E. Strepek discloses a motorized extendable drawer apparatus for a vehicle. However, the Strepek, et al. ""767 patent does not provide a wall on the rearward end of the cargo box, which could lead to baggage shifting or falling off when the device is pulled out from the vehicle. Furthermore, the Strepek, et al.""767 device is motorized, leading to a more complex manufacturing process and a higher cost.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,360 to Richard E. Peters and Larry J. Parlette discloses a combination access box and bed liner for vehicles. However, the Peters, et al. ""360 patent does not provide a wall on the rearward end of the cargo box, which could lead to baggage shifting or falling off when the device is extended from the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,585 to Stig Pilhall discloses a sliding cargo floor for use in larger vehicles such as station wagons, vans, and sports utility vehicles. However, the Pilhall ""585 patent does not provide any walls to retain the cargo in its original position, which could lead to possible injury or damage to stored items due to cargo falling off the device once it is extended from the vehicle. Additionally the Pilhall ""585 device does not provide a locking mechanism for the cargo floor, thus it could inadvertently slide out of the vehicle, once again causing injury or damage to cargo, especially if the vehicle were not parked on a flat surface.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,632 to Craig Dongilli and Jeanette Dongilli discloses a slideable and removable truck bed multi-compartment system. While the Dongilli, et al. ""632 patent provides a sliding mechanism for the compartment, it does not provide a means for opening the end of the compartment, requiring an individual to lift cargo up and over the edges of the compartment. This could lead to additional strain on a worker lifting heavy bags and boxes on a continuous basis. Additionally, the Dongilli, et al. ""632 device does not provide a locking mechanism for holding the compartment in place while the vehicle is moving, instead relying on the tailgate of the truck to keep the unit for sliding. When the storage hatch for a bus was opened, the compartment might slide forward, injuring a worker or bystander.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 425,825 to Thomas Allan Shambeau and Loren Fredrick Hansen discloses the ornamental design for a cargo box. Although, the Shambeau, et al. ""825 patent has four sides to maintain the placement of any baggage it contains, the Shambeau, et al. ""825 makes no provision for the cargo box to be retractable. Therefore, it would still require a worker to reach to the back of the compartment and lift heavy pieces at an awkward angle, placing his back and shoulder under an unnatural amount of strain.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,710 to Angelo Gianelo discloses an under-platform drawer for trucks that is mounted under the truck bed. However, the Gianelo ""710 patent would not be useful for buses and other vehicles that do not have sufficient space under the body of the vehicle for such a device. Additionally, since the Gianelo ""710 device is suspended from a pair of guide rails, it would be impractical to load large amounts of baggage in it since it would be under an undue amount of stress.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a retractable cargo box that allows safe, easy, and convenient storage and retrieval of all baggage stored in a luggage compartment. The Wolterstorff, et al. ""181, Strepek, et al. ""767, Peters, et al. ""360, and Pilhall ""585 patents each lack a four wall system for holding the cargo. The Wolterstorff, et al. ""181 patent does not provide either a rear or front wall for the cargo system, leading to the possibility that an item could be damaged if it fell or was pushed off the device during storage and retrieval of cargo. Additionally, an item that was accidentally pushed off the back end of the Wolterstorff, et al. ""181 device while cargo was being stowed could be caught between the cargo box and the wall of the bus when the cargo box was fully inserted into the bus, leading to damaged luggage as well as broken or damaged items within the luggage. The Strepek, et al. ""767 and the Peters, et al. ""3.60 patents do not provide a wall on the rearward end of the cargo box, which could lead to baggage shifting or falling when the device is pulled out from the vehicle. The Pilhall ""585 patent does not provide any walls to retain the cargo in its original position, which could lead to possible injury or damage to stored items due to cargo falling off the device once it is extended out of the vehicle. Neither the Pilhall ""585 nor the Dongilli, et al. ""632 device provides a locking mechanism for the cargo floor, thus it could inadvertently slide out of the vehicle, once again causing injury or damage to cargo, especially if the vehicle were not parked on a flat surface. Furthermore, the Dongilli, et al. ""632 patent does not provide a means for opening the end of the compartment, requiring an individual to lift cargo up and over the edges of the compartment. This could lead to additional strain on a worker lifting heavy bags and boxes on a continuous basis. Additionally, the Strepek, et al. ""767 device is motorized, leading to a more complex manufacturing process and a higher cost. The Shambeau, et al. ""825 makes no provision for the cargo box to be retractable; therefore, it would still require a worker to reach to the back of the compartment and lift heavy pieces at an awkward angle, placing his back and shoulder under an unnatural amount of strain. Finally, the Gianelo ""710 patent would not be useful for buses and other vehicles that do not have sufficient space under the body of the vehicle for such a device, especially because the device is suspended from a pair of guide rails and would be impractical for large amounts of baggage since the rails would be placed under an undue amount of stress.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved retractable cargo box that can be used for easily and safely stowing, transporting, and retrieving baggage in vehicles such as buses and trains. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the retractable cargo box according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of minimizing the amount of strain placed on the body, especially the back and shoulders, and the amount of damage sustained by baggage when loading, transporting, and retrieving baggage from cargo compartments such as those found in buses and trains.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of retractable cargo boxes now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved retractable cargo box, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved retractable cargo box which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a retractable cargo box which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a sturdy framework with walls forming a rectangular cargo box, open on the top, with a pair of access doors at the front. The cargo box has wheels attached on the right and left sides which are formed to slide upon a pair of guide rails, allowing the box to easily move upon the rails.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include door stops to ensure proper door closure, a safety latch and hook to ensure that the doors remain closed during transit, and a locking bolt to immobilize the cargo bin during transit. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved retractable cargo box that has all of the advantages of the prior art retractable cargo boxes and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved retractable cargo box that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved retractable cargo box that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such a retractable cargo box economically available to the buying public.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new retractable cargo box that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable cargo box for providing easy access to all cargo stored in a luggage compartment. This eliminates undue back and shoulder strain that occurs when reaching and lifting baggage from the back of a compartment, especially when dealing with heavy cargo.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable cargo box that minimizes the damage done to stored cargo while in transit. The retractable cargo box set forth in the attached claims allows cargo to be loaded in a more organized fashion and minimizes the shifting and movement of stored luggage.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved retractable cargo box for safe, easy, and convenient storage and retrieval of all baggage stored in a luggage compartment. This reduces the amount of time and injuries involved in this process.